It was the Second World War that brought Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) to its apogee. Well before the entry of the United States into the war, England and her affiliated commonwealth nations, including Canada, were fighting for their lives as the Battle of the Atlantic raged. To counter the growing danger of Nazi U-boats, more than 120 escort vessels called corvettes were built.

These small but sturdy warships were based on the design of a whale catcher, with a simple design meant to be produced quickly and inexpensively. Armed with a 4 inch bow gun, depth charges, a hedgehog launcher and anti-aircraft cannon, the Flower class corvettes became the guardians of the North Atlantic, escorting vital convoys and attacking the submarine menace that had previously threatened the England's lifeline during the First World War.

His/Her Majesty’s Canadian Ship (HMCS) Sackville was one of the original 1939-40 Flower Class corvettes ordered for the Royal Canadian Navy. She was built at Saint John, New Brunswick and entered service in December 1941. The corvette class, with 122 built in Canada, had elevated the RCN to the third largest navy in the world by war’s end.

HMCS Sackville earned distinction for engaging U-boats at sea. In August 1942 Sackville fought a series of fierce actions escorting Convoy ON-115. Deprived of air cover by heavy fog, the convoy was attacked by two successive U-boat wolf packs off the coast of Newfoundland. On August 3, Sackville caught the German submarine U-43 on the surface and, as the submarine dove, made a series of depth charge attacks that blew U-43 out of the water. The submarine managed to survive but had to flee to occupied Europe for repairs. The next day Sackville attacked U-704 as it dove, causing the submarine to break off its attack leaving Sackville to rescue two survivors from an abandoned but still floating merchant ship. Only a few hours later, Sackville detected U-552 on the surface with radar and landed a four inch shell on the submarine's conning tower followed by a depth charge. U-552 nearly sank but managed to regain control and creep back to Germany heavily damaged. Sackville's attacks had played a key role in allowing the 41 ship convoy to escape with the loss of only two ships.

Although she had sustained heavy damage, Sackville was retained for post-war service, first as a training ship and afterwards as a research vessel for the Bedford Institute of Oceanography. In 1982, she was acquired by The Canadian Naval Memorial and reconverted to her original state in 1994. Today, as the last surviving corvette, Sackville serves as The Canadian Naval Memorial, a living museum dedicated to the courageous people who have served in Canada’s navy. She is berthed at the Sackville Landing Wharf, Lower Water Street in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

The Canadian Navy
Canadian Forces Maritime Command (MARCOM), also known as the Canadian Navy, is the maritime division of the Canadian Forces. While equal in rank and position, the Chief of the Maritime Staff takes precedence over the Chiefs of the Land and Air Staffs following the tradition of the Royal Navy.